Mississippi House rejects attempt to return school scheduling decisions to local boards

JACKSON, Miss. — Supporters of letting local school boards decide when the school year begins and ends failed Tuesday to change a two-year-old state law that says the school year cannot begin before the third Monday in August.

But there is hope for returning decision-making to local school boards.

The issue arose during debate on a bill that would make technical changes to existing law concerning public education.

"Mr. Chairman, are you telling us that if we vote yes right now, push the green button, that our districts can start school when they want to?" Rep. Wanda Jennings, R-Southaven, asked during debate on the bill.

"Yes," responded Education Committee chairman John Moore, R-Brandon.

The amendment, called a strike-all because it throws out the original legislation and replaces it with the amendment, failed on a vote of 52-66.

Local school boards, before this year, determined when the 180-day school year began and ended, but that changed in 2012 when lawmakers approved legislation dictating that the school year cannot begin before the third Monday in August.

At the time, supporters said the later start date would help tourism by extending the summer vacation for public school students, many of whom worked in tourist-related summer jobs.

That law became effective with the start of the 2014-15 school year.

House members approved the slightly changed bill on a vote of 111-4 and returned it to the Senate for more work.

As with most high-profile legislation, the education bill likely will go to a six-member House-Senate conference committee to work out differences in the House and Senate bills.,

Jennings, an Education Committee member, said there still is hope for local school boards to set their own school years.

She noted that the Senate bill returns school year scheduling to local school boards.

Indeed, the Senate bill reads: "Section 37-13-62, Mississippi Code of 1972, which provides that all public schools shall begin the school year on or after the third Monday in August, is hereby repealed."

The Senate bill makes no further mention of when the school year should start, but Jennings was optimistic about returning scheduling to local school boards.

"That bill is not finished yet," she said afterward.

"The people at home need to hold off and not reschedule anything until it comes up in conference. It's not necessarily a done deal yet. We don't need to celebrate yet."